Juniata men’s hoops outgunned by Franklin & Marshall

HUNTINGDON, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall College had seven players score in double-digits on its way to a 97-55 win over Juniata College, in men's basketball action on Saturday night in Huntingdon, Pa. 

Juniata struggled to find its offensive rhythm in the early going, shooting just 28.6% (6-21) from the floor in the first half.  After David Thompson (Altoona, Pa./Altoona) scored the first basket of the game, the Eagles would not score again for another three-and-a-half minutes. 

That allowed the Diplomats to respond to Thompson's bucket with a 15-2 run, giving F&M a double-digit lead, 15-4, as early as the 14:15 mark of the opening half. Juniata would briefly knock the F&M lead back under 10 points on its next trip down the floor, thanks to a Thompson jumper with exactly 14:00 showing on the clock. 

The Diplomats (4-0) answered with layups from James McNally and Anthony Brooks, followed by a three-pointer from Clay Scovill. Those buckets were part of a 14-0 run by Franklin & Marshall, which gave the Dips a 29-6 lead with 9:09 left in the first half. 

Juniata (1-4) trailed 45-14 at the intermission, with Franklin & Marshall taking its largest lead at 46 points, 84-38, with 7:59 left in the second half. 

Thompson and freshman Matt Regan (Downingtown, Pa./Devon Prep) led the Eagles with 11 points each, with Michael McCarry (Ambler, Pa./Upper Dublin) chipping in with 10 points. 

Scovill led a parade of F&M scorers with 19 points, followed by Steve Tolliver off the bench with 13 points.  Starters Georgio Milligan and James McNally totaled 12 points.

Juniata returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 3, when it travels to Pittsburgh to face Carnegie Mellon University. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Skibo Gymnasium.

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